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Feb
27th
Alyce in Dance Classes, February 27, 2012 - 02:57 am

The Positive Effects of Dancing on Children

Dance classes have a positive role in increasing the intelligence and creativity of children. According to recent studies, dancing help kids grow intellectually, physically and emotionally. This is not only because of the total body movement that is required when dancing but also because of the power of inspirational music. So if you want your child to be his or her best, start stocking up on dance clothes for him.

When your children have already expressed their desire for dancing, you should be ready with the right dance apparel for them. Luckily, dance stores love to create and sell comfortable and cute outfits for kids. With this wide variety of children’s dance wear, little girls become the center of attention in their tutu skirts and body-fit dance leotards while little boys would become man-like in their comfortable dance shoes. Regardless of which brand you choose, your child’s dancewear must support all his movements and must protect him from muscle cramps and pain.

If children are more equipped for dancing, they better absorb the benefits of such activity. As such, they can come out of their shells and learn to interact with the other dancers. They can also learn more effectively as learning takes place while the body is involved in an expressive activity.

Dancing is Therapy
Moreover, dancing has been proven as an effective therapy for children with disabilities and emotional disorders. As long as these children are wearing comfortable dance clothing, they would be more focused on the moves of the dance rather than on the clothes they wear to dance school. Some of the noted benefits associated with dancing are as follows:

  • Children with cerebral palsy have increased muscle tone as a result of regular dance exercises
  • Cancer patients have shown improvement when it comes to controlling pain
  • Deaf and blind children become more expressive primarily because of the soothing effects of music and the fact that dancing is a form of non-verbal communication
  • Children with ADHD, learning disorders and depression have shown a significant amount of improvement after a prolonged exposure to dancing as a part of therapy

In addition, dancing improves the attitude of children. Dance schools require a great amount of discipline – in the food you eat, the time of practice and even the frequency of practicing just to learn a routine. So a child becomes accustomed to rules and routines in the long run and that helps him or her become more controlled and more confident.

Develop Your Child’s Love for Dancing at an Early Age
Babies “dance” whenever they hear music but without enough encouragement and support coming from parents, they lose interest as they grow older. But bear in mind that dancing is a universal language and it is very important for self-expression especially during the early years when your child is still learning a language. Children as little as 3 years old can already start attending dance classes to nurture his or her talents and help him or her grow.

Dance wear for toddlers can come in many styles and colors. To help foster your child’s love for dancing, it is essential that you choose the type of dancewear that will make him or her feel comfortable while dancing and add to the excitement and fun of the experience.

For an exciting collection of children’s dancewear, visit: www.alycedancewear.com



Feb
27th
Alyce in Dancewear, February 27, 2012 - 02:45 am

Essential Convertible Dance Tights for a Comfortable Dance Experience

Wearing tights during dance practices and performances is more than just a part of your costume; rather tights are indispensable tools that break the friction between your feet and the floor. Too much friction may cause leg pain and weakness. There are many types of tights that you can use as part of your dance clothes. Among these are footed,Capri, seam, footless, stirrup, fishnet, body tights and the convertible. Of all these types the convertible dance tights offer the highest flexibility.

But dance tights are not only for adult dancers because they also make great dance costumes for kids. Compared to adult dancers, children dancers are inexperienced and their feet are still too soft to be constantly exposed to friction. They need to be well protected in order to encourage the proper development of their legs which is essential for their progress in dancing.

Convertible dance tights can be worn in either a footed or footless style. The secret is behind the presence of a hole that can be wrapped on the ankle or used to cover the entire foot. This makes it easier for ballet dancers to wear these tights comfortably underneath their ballet shoes. Sometimes, if you choose to use these tights to cover the entire foot, a small lump can be felt. Most first-time users would feel uneasy and get distracted with the lump but over time, it wouldn’t be such an issue anymore.

The significance of wearing convertible dance tights is especially felt by dancers needing to change in between classes. This makes it possible for you to shift from ballet to jazz to ballroom without having to wear different kinds of tights for every dance genre. Hence, it would be easy for dancers to shift from wearing a pair of pointe shoe pads to a pair of sneakers or flip-flops. These tights also come in many natural colors so they won’t interfere with your costumes and would look almost look invisible once you start dancing.

As mentioned earlier, the convertible dance tights are the most flexible and that’s because they are usually made from 14% spandex and the remaining 86% nylon. In addition, the cotton gusset ensures comfort and the included waistband keeps the material in place while you are dancing. The combination of these materials allow for ease of movement especially when you are doing dance routines that require a lot of stretches like ballet.

During theatrical performances, dance tights can be adorned with small jewels to improve its look. However, the addition of small decorations does not devalue these dance accessories even by a single degree. Just be sure to practice extra care when putting on the rhinestones to prevent the tights from getting unpleasant lumps and holes.

Now if you have invested in a pair of convertible dance tights and you suddenly decided to stop dancing, there is no reason to feel any regret over the money you spent. This is because these dance tights will also make great tools for exercising like aerobics and yoga so you have a whole new world of fitness to explore just by using the same accessories that you already have.

For your first pair of convertible dance tights, look only for the best. Check out www.alycedancewear.com.



Feb
15th
Alyce in Dance Classes, February 15, 2012 - 03:00 am

Why Your Child Needs Dance Lessons

Very young children have so much energy and yet they’re still beginning to learn how to move their bodies. The next few years of their lives will determine how they will carry themselves, physically and mentally, for the rest of the lives. That’s why it’s important to have them engage in physical activity that will shape and hone their grace, poise and flexibility, transforming raw energy into skill and dexterity. Teaching our children how to be more graceful and agile are best achieved through dance. Apart from the skills and fun they will get, dancing is an excellent aerobic and physical exercise that will improve their growing bodies. They’re bones will be stronger, their limbs more pliant, and their muscles developed. So start looking for dance wear for kids and get them to bust a few moves.

Children who learn dancing at an early age gain physical benefits that go beyond dancing. When they leave their dance shoes behind and go into other fields such as sports, they already have a skill set that is just as useful. Your child will have superb coordination, an impeccable sense of balance and agility that all come in handy when he or she take up any sport, be it basketball, martial arts, football, or gymnastics. Dance will have already implanted in them the importance of discipline and physical fitness. Dance can also help process feelings such as stress and anxiety, which can be a concern later in adolescence.

The importance of imagination is nurtured and reinforced in dance. Even if your child won’t end up as a professional dancer, he or she will still retain a dancer’s creativity and expressiveness, which are helpful in facing tasks and developing a clearer perspective.

Dance also improves your child’s social abilities. They will have a strong sense of self worth through dance, being aware of their bodies and movement, and the force that moves it from within. Dancers are among the most confident and poised people, at ease with their bodies and possessing a great sense of the physical space around them. Your child will absorb important social skills by working with other dance learners. Collaboration and teamwork, both valuable later in life, is introduced early on inside the dance studio.

Scientific studies have continuously linked artistic development help foster excellence in other fields. Children learn to focus and be creative and in turn apply the skills they acquired from the arts into other endeavors, including schoolwork. Start going through a list of lessons you child can take part of. Ballet is a rigorous discipline which trains your child the fundamentals of balance, rhythm and grace. Young girls also love donning ballet dancewear, such as tutus, leotards and ballet slippers. Many children enjoy the movements of tap dancing, which they may have seen on children’s shows and movies. Modern jazz can encourage them to combine emotional expressiveness with movement. And hip-hop is probably the most accessible way to introduce kids to dance.

To get your kids started, see the available children’s dancewear and accessories at Alyce Dance Wear. Visit www.alycedancewear.com



Feb
12th
Alyce in Dance Wear Maintenance, February 12, 2012 - 03:00 am

Proper Care and Maintenance of Dance Wear

Dance clothing and accessories are often intricately designed and therefore can be delicate or easily damaged. Dance tights, for example, can get runs, while ballet shoes can get worn out due to repeated use. To avoid having to replace dance wear or dance costume accessories frequently, certain maintenance and repair practices should be kept in mind.

Taking Care of Ballet and Gymnastics Clothes
Dance leotards are traditionally made of cotton, but are currently available in different kinds of spandex and nylon materials. Because they have to be tightly fitted to the user, they have to be washed and stored in such a way that they will not get loose or baggy. Leotards should be allowed to soak in cool water with soap for fifteen to twenty minutes before they are fully laundered. Stains on this article of dance clothing should be spot treated before the whole garment is washed. Leotards should never by wring-dried or hung by their straps.

Runs and holes on dance tights are very noticeable and tend to get worse when not attended to. To prevent damage to tights, they should always be kept in smooth storage bags so that they won’t get caught in pointed or rough surfaces. Dancers normally wear pants over tights before and after rehearsals to protect the leg garments. In case the tights get a run, putting clear nail polish on the edges of the hole can curb the damage. Like leotards, tights are best laundered by hand-washing instead of machine-washing.

Preserving Other Dance Clothes
Dance costumes without decorations such as sequins, feathers and rhinestones can still be damaged if machine-washed. Experts recommend sending them to the dry cleaners or hand-washing them in cool water with mild soap. Since they are also sensitive to heat and sunlight, sophisticated dance wear should not be dried under direct sunlight or ironed. Dance costumes with stones and other sewn-on materials are even more fragile. They should not be washed directly in water as much as possible, but if necessary, they can be laundered inside out. They are also sensitive to direct sunlight and hot ironing. To help these kinds of clothes get dry, a stand steamer may be used or they can be hanged in a steamy room like the bathroom.

Maintenance of Ballet and Other Dance Shoes
Dance shoes are cleaned in a variety of ways, depending on the kind of material they are made of. One home remedy is baking soda, which should be moderately used on ballet shoes. However, any random chemical could ruin dance shoes, so they should only be polished using cleaning products designed specifically for satin, leather or metallic shoes. Brushing shoes used in ballroom dancing is one good way to keep them in good condition. For ballet pointe shoes, drying is an effective maintenance measure because it hardens the glue inside the shoes, which is key to making the pair last longer. For all kinds of dance shoes, the best way to prolong life span is to never wear them outside the dance floor.

Dancewear takes time and money to make and acquire. Those in good quality may not be as affordable as substandard, easily worn-out pieces. Either way, dance clothes deserve adequate care and maintenance for the dancer’s own comfort.

For more information about dancing and dancewear, visit www.alycedancewear.com. We have a wide selection of dance clothes, shoes and accessories for all ages.



Jan
24th
Alyce in Dance Apparel, January 24, 2012 - 05:11 am

Dance Apparel Fashion Gets a Reinvention

Dance and fashion always seem to go together. In a way, dance has influenced fashion. And yet, fashion largely impacts what most dancers wear for their dance routines. These two art forms always go together and so this is only timely that for this upcoming spring, there is a wide array of dance apparel to harmonize with your dance movements and style.

The movies Flashdance and Fame were among the perfect epitome at how dance and fashion can intermingle. The silver screen further popularized dance clothing as something that is fashionable, not just functional. The moment these movies were released, women from all over the world dreamed of wearing a leotard and tutu. Of course, the popularity of Madonna during the 1980s helped to further push fashion as an integral part of dancing.

Soon enough, trendy retailers began shooting out and offering a wide range of dance clothes for the fashionable dancers. The products ranged from off-shoulder tops (which were very reminiscent of Flashdance), leotard, and loose crop pants. Dance wear are indeed getting a share of the spotlight this Spring with these classic dance clothes revisited with a new flair to them. Thus, fashion experts are predicting that the fashion runways for the upcoming Spring will be marked by designs that are taken off the dance studio.

There are many ways that you can incorporate dance fashion as part of your daily life, not just on the dance studio. The use of leotard under skinny jeans would go well for a casual look. Or, you may also layer your leotards with a sleeve-fitted top or sweaters. Indeed, the moment you step out of the studio, you can still use your dance clothes when you go shopping or meet up with pals. It is all about trying to mix and match various dance costume accessories for your daily wear. This has helped shape the dance wear fashion scene and it is therefore becoming more of a practical investment for female dancers since they can have more use for them, not just for dancing.

Finding dance apparel is therefore something that you need to give much thought to. Some classic dance wears aren’t readily accessible from your favorite retailers, such as pointed shoes or tutu. Thankfully, there are plenty of them via the internet so you can explore as many retailers for the perfect dance attire.

Since dance clothes are the new fashion rage this season, it should be easy to find the ideal retailer for the clothing pieces that you want. Fashion enthusiasts should opt for retailers that offer competitive pricing and have a wider selection. This will provide you with more flexibility in terms of finding the ideal attire that ensures comfort as you dance, while at the same time is fashionable enough to use for your casual wear.

It does not matter what specific area of dance art you are practicing, there is a way for you to find the right dance clothing while still reflecting your fashion sense. It is all about finding the right retailer that can provide you with clothing options to suit your needs and taste. Feel free to explore because finding fashionable dance apparel is now much more convenient.